Before the Games Began
by selenehekate
Summary: Oneshot. Before Vampire Academy: Lissa and Rose are on the run, but just how did they escape? And who did they meet along the way... R&R Please!


So here it is, the oneshot preview to Vampire Acadmey, just exactly how Lissa and Rose ran away and whole they encountered... I hope you all like it!

On the forums (the writers forums for Vampire Academy) you can find the Awards for 2008! Please vote for all your favorite stories there by PMing me, and we will have an amazing awards for this year! Don't forget to vote!

Now please RER: Read it, Enjoy it, Review it... and I've gotts Love it!

Lurve,

-Selene

* * *

It was so effing dark. Seriously, I couldn't see an inch in front of my face. Although perhaps that's a good thing, the sight of Lissa's cleavage wasn't something that ever got me going.

That's another thing, there was absolutely no room in this freakin' trunk. I had the spare tire poking into my back and Lissa's chest in my face, her own head nestled comfortably on _my _jacket. I sighed. Why did I have to be such a good friend?

As far as we knew, there was no one else in the car besides the driver and ourselves. This was good, because if it came done to a fight, the less witnesses the better.

I knew what the outcome of this little jailbreak was going to be: I was going to slowly be driven insane. Hell, I was already being driven to some unknown location, who knew how long the crazy part would take? I grimaced. And did the mystery driver have to be a fan of country music?

Suddenly, the horror that was Reba McEntire was overshadowed by the voice of my best friend. "Rose," she whispered from somewhere above my head. "I think-"

"Shh!" Didn't she know how dangerous it was to speak? Now that we were out of the gates, we were safe from the guardians. But the driver... who knew where he was taking us, and who he really was? No, our best bet was to stay quiet until he stopped the car and we could sneak out, otherwise we might get caught and forced back to-

"But Rose," she whispered again, excitement rushing it's way through her voice. "I think the car's-"

It was then that I realized something. "Wait," I interrupted, noticing for the first time that the sound of KIPI's Country Karl was coming though louder then before, that the acceleration of the car was lower... "We're stopping," I confirmed in awe.

Silence. Then a sarcastic, "No, really?"

I rolled my eyes, a smile forming on my face. Lissa may have been freaking out about all of the rules we were breaking by running away, but she was trying so hard to keep her cool... I just hoped that I could keep the both of us alive.

No pressure, right?

The car was now at a complete stand-still, that crappy country stuff thankfully off, silence surrounding Lissa and I as we waited with baited breath for the driver to walk away.

Only he didn't. We heard the footsteps approaching us as he stepped out of the car, felt it shake as he slammed the door shut. I grimaced, all this motion was giving me a headache... and then the footsteps stopped. But not because he was so far away that we couldn't hear them anymore, no.

Because they were right in front of the trunk.

I could feel Lissa shaking with fear, the bond showing me just how afraid she was. My eyes grew wide as I heard the tell-tale click of the trunk, as I saw it open...

And then there he was. The driver that had been our saving grace just moments before and was now our enemy. His mouth dropped open as he spotted us. "What the-"

With no time to waste, I jumped out of the car, hitting him in the chin and knocking him over so I lay on top of him, my hands clasping his own above his head. Normally this would be such a fun position to hold, but now and with him... not so much. "Lissa," I shouted, screwing the quiet thing. "Use compulsion! Lissa!"

But she was frozen, half in and half out of the trunk, worry lines etched into her face as she watched me struggle with the driver. She was useless now. "Aw hell," I groaned, before I grabbed his head and slammed it into the ground as hard as I could.

And that was when Lissa woke up.

"Rose," she screeched, flying out of the car and to my side in an instant. Gee, Lis. Thanks so much for the help. "What have you done?" She reached for the man, but I pulled her away.

"He'll be fine, Lissa," I said, grabbing him by the armpits and dragging him back towards the car. "He's still breathing," I grunted. I let go a few inches from the car door, taking a second to open it before picking him up again. I turned to Lissa. "Help me with this."

She complied, though uneasily, and grabbed him by his feet, lifting him into the car. "What good will this do," Lissa puffed, not used to so much physical exertion. Oh maybe she was in shock. Who could tell?

"Hopefully he'll think he fell asleep and hit his head. Maybe he'll even forget all about us.," I answered for her, wiping my head with my hand. My neck cracked and I winced. I was going to have serious whiplash tomorrow.

Lissa scoffed. "_That's_ the best you've got? That's never going to work." I grinned. It was nice to know that Lissa was back to her old self again.

I shrugged, taking in my surroundings for the first time. "With any luck, by the time he wakes up we'll already be at a bus station." The car was parked in front of a house in a quaint neighborhood, the windows dark at almost every address. How on earth had nobody heard this commotion? Whatever, it wasn't my problem. "Come on Lissa, we should-" I cut myself off with a sigh.

She was making a bandage for him.

Out of _my _jacket.

Great, now we were going to get caught, and I'd freeze my ass off.

Why, oh why did I have to be blessed with a friend who was constantly attempting to save the world? Really, why couldn't she be more selfish? I grabbed her arm and pulled her up, slamming the car door shut behind him. "Lissa, we don't have time for this."

"But, Rose! He could be hurt. I have to-"

I turned her to face me and looked her straight in the eye, as all traces of humor disappeared from my voice. "Right now, you have to run."

And so we did.

----------------

Of course, that isn't to say that we knew where we were running _to_. As we ran through the streets of the Big-House-Development, it became clearer and clearer that we had no clue were the hell we were going, and further more that we had no clue where the hell we were.

Yes, that's right. We were lost. After running for fifteen minutes, it was time to face the facts. It was so dark now that I felt like I was back in the trunk, where I could barely see two inches in front of me. There wasn't even an upside to this, as Lissa's boobs were no longer in my face, instead she was running besides me, out of breathe and just as frustrated as I was.

I tripped over something, the curb it turns out, and fell down, catching myself on some bush. "Ow," I muttered, cursing the darkness and Nike for making unstable running shoes. There was no doubt about it, I was completely miserable, and freezing cold because the driver had my jacket wrapped around his head.

Although the good news about all of this (for there actually was good news, believe it or not), was that if we had no clue were we where, then it stood to reason that the driver wouldn't be able to find us either.

Assuming he was conscious by now of course.

Lissa and I slowed to a jog, taking the time to reassess where we were and to catch our breath. I shook my head. "This isn't working," I whispered, glancing at my watch. It was after seven at night. To most people it was still early, but Lissa and I had been up for over twenty-four hours now.

Naturally, we were starting to get tired.

I stopped jogging, looking over my shoulder to make sure we were alone. Then I turned back to Lissa, who was regarding my with a skeptical frown. "What," I asked as I skimmed the shadows and the houses nearby.

"What are you planning," she inquired, glaring at me through the slits that were her eyes.

I sighed. "You always have to think the worst, don't you." Finally, I saw what I was looking for and began to stroll up the walkway.

But Lissa wouldn't have it. She grabbed my arm, fear returning through the bond. "What are you doing," she asked, her voice quivering.

I pulled my arm away and kept walking. "Taking care of us."

"Rose no! You don't know who lives there," she said, her terror of being discovered choking me as it ran through the bond.

"But we also don't know who's creeping in the shadows," I said in a low voice. Lissa shuddered and a wave of satisfaction came over me. This had to convince her now... "I think this is safer." And so I rang the doorbell.

The house I had chosen was a nice one. There was only one car in the driveway, meaning less people there to see us, and the lights in the house were actually on, meaning someone was home. It was perfect.

The door opened and my heart nearly stopped.

Standing there in the doorway was a guy worthy of being compared to the god Adonis. He was perfect. He had light brown hair that was side-swept as if he had been running through the wind. His eyes were green, complementing his bronzed skin beautifully.

Whoa.

"Uh hey," he said, staring at Lissa and myself with raised eyebrows. "Can I help you?"

"Yeah," I said with a grin that was one part fake and two parts in awe. "My name is Ro- Katie! I'm Katie and this is Li... la!" Fake names seemed like the smartest way to go... "Um, so we were here visiting our, I mean my cousins-"

God I sounded like an idiot! I needed to pull it together, now! But I couldn't believe someone my age had answered the door, let alone someone as gorgeous as him! I shook my head and tried again.

"Anyway, so Lila and I need to get to the bus station. Um, see we have to return home to New York," Lissa shot me a look that said 'what the hell' but I ignored her and kept going. "And so we need to take a bus to the airport in Seattle so we can make our flight."

"So you're asking me where the bus station is," the guy asked with a smirk.

I nodded. "Yes! If you could just tell us-"

"You're out of luck," he shrugged. "We're a small town. The last bus left at seven."

I groaned. Dammit! If we had only known where the heck we were running to, we would have made it... "Oh," I said, realizing the severity of the situation. "Oh I see. Well, um... Thanks. We should probably-"

I was backing away, wondering what the hell we were going to do now when he interrupted me. "I'm Hunter, by the way," he said with a grin. "Listen, my parents are out at a work party tonight, they won't be home till late. You two can stay over."

Because this isn't creepy at all.

"Uh, no thanks. We'd better get back to our, I mean my cousins house. Thanks anyway!" I grabbed the startled Lissa by the arm and began pulling her away from Hunter's house.

And then he chuckled. "Would you relax. I'm not going to turn you in."

I froze. What did he mean, turn us in? Did he know... I faced him again with wide eyes. "What are you talking about," I asked cautiously, not wanting to give anything away in case he didn't know.

But he did. Sort of, anyway. "I know two runaways when I see them. You're secret's safe with me." He held the door open wider, beckoning us inside and giving us a view of the off-white room that lay beyond. "Come on, I'm making soup."

I hesitated. not sure whether or not we could trust this guy. Did we know anything about him? I may have hesitated, but Lissa sure didn't. She gave him a heartfelt smile and stepped through the threshold. "Thanks," she said, happiness and suspicion radiating through the bond.

I sighed and followed after her. "Yeah, thanks." I know the only reason she had accepted - Strigoi. We knew it was unsafe to be outside at night, it was smarter to take our chances with a handsome stranger then to risk sleeping outdoors.

"No problem," Hunter said with a grin as he shut the door behind him. He lead us over to the kitchen, with white-wash walls and black counters. I surveyed the rooms as I went, looking for possible escape routes and weapons in case things got ugly.

"Where are we," I asked as he pulled a wooden spoon out of a drawer and put it in the pot on the stove, stirring rhythmically.

"My kitchen," he said, looking back at us with a lop-sided grin. "Unless you mean what town are we in, in which case the answer is Corvallis." This proclamation was met with blank stares from Lissa and myself. He sighed. "It's by Hamilton, okay?"

Hamilton. Then we were still in Montana. I sighed. Did we really want to go to Seattle? Maybe the lie I told was a good thing. Maybe we really should go to New York...

He pulled the spoon out of the pot and turned to us. "Dinner's ready," he said, pulling out some bowls from a cabinet. Wait. Why were there four bowls... "Amy! Dinner!"

Lissa and I exchanged glances. Who was Amy? Aw crap, now we'd have to run. This was just one more person who could tell on us...

A girl of about fourteen came down the stairs, her brown hair pulled back into a bun, her green eyes widening at the sight of us before she sighed. "Okay," she said in a defeated voice. "Which one is the girl you're going to set up Evan with?"

Huh?

Hunter laughed. "Neither. These are my friends from school. They're staying here tonight." He handed Lissa a bowl of soup. "This is Lila." And then he faced me, a twinkle in his eyes and a grin on his lips. "And this is Katie."

"Nice to meet you," Amy said, holding out a hand to Lissa first, and then myself. "I'm Amy, Hunter's sister."

Hunter rolled his eyes. "She's a pain in the ass, but you'll get used to her."

She stuck out her tongue. "I'm not nearly as much of a pain in the ass as Evan is."

There it was, that name again. "That's true." Hunter laughed and explained. "Evan's a friend of mine. He can't seem to ever hold on to a girl for more then five minutes, I'm trying to change that." I nodded and Hunter rolled his eyes again. "You know, it's not poisoned." He pointed toward the bowl.

I looked down and realized that neither Lissa nor I had touched our soup. Not to seem untrustworthy or anything... but I was. Although there was no getting out of it now. With a reluctance and a deep breath, I brought the spoon I held to my mouth and realized... that Hunter could cook. Who knew?

He smiled at my surprise. "I know," he said with a laugh. "I'm good."

----------------

Lissa and I had shared the guest room (I know, they actually _had_ a guest room), and to both of our surprise, we had a fairly good night's sleep. But then again, we had been up for over twenty-eight hours straight.

We were just a little tired.

The next day, we woke up at eight to the smell of pancakes, having slept through the sunrise completely. To our surprise, not only could Hunter make soup, but he could also make breakfast.

He's a regular Gordon Ramsey, that one.

We had a quick breakfast, wanting to get out of this town as soon as possible in case some dhampirs from the Academy came looking for us. We said goodbye to Amy, and then Hunter drove us to the bus station in silence.

Lissa was the one who got to go argue with the ticket lady. I hoped her compulsion was still working, we wouldn't be allowed on the bus without a parental guardian. At least, that was what the ticket sign said.

But this left me with Hunter. "Listen Katie," he said with a serious tone of voice. This is probably the first time he's ever _been_ serious, come to think of it. "Take this." He handed me an envelope.

"What's is it," I asked, taking it with caution.

He bit his lip. "I don't know why you're on the run," he whispered, ignoring my question. "But I trust you. I think you're doing whatever it is you're doing for the right reasons." He nodded towards the envelope. "Open it."

I did. Inside was a bundle of cash, of twenties to be exact. So many of them... I shook my head. "I can't take this," I said, trying to hand the money back to him.

"Katie, don't be stupid. You can't run away with nothing! You'll die," Hunter held my hand, keeping the money in my palm. "Take the money."

"We're fine." I smiled calmly. "Lila and I... we swiped half of her inheritance before we left. Well... actually, I did it for her, but we're covered. Don't worry."

Hunter looked me in the eye for a moment, testing my honesty probably, but at last he looked away, taking the cash with him. He sighed and reached into the envelope, pulling out a piece of paper that I hadn't noticed before. "At least take this."

I took the paper. It was a note from him to me. _Katie,_ it read. _I wish you the best. If you ever need anything, give me a call. Hunter_. Below that was his phone number.

I looked up at him. For some reason, tears were forming in my eyes. Here was a boy I had never met before, I didn't even know his last name, and yet he was willing to help us. We stayed at his house, he fed us... and now here he was, offering money and assistance whenever we needed. I sniffed. "My name's not Katie," I said.

He grinned his trademark grin again. "I know," he said. "But for now, that's what I'll call you." I looked at him for a moment, so sweet, so caring. "The number is my cell. I'll always have it with me."

I nodded. "Okay."

"Hey!" Hunter and I jumped. Lissa was shouting from the door of the bus, waving her hands like a maniac. "Come on, we've got to go!"

"Okay!" I called back. I faced him one last time. "I'll never forget this," I whispered to him, gratitude overwhelming me.

He smiled and reached for me, pulling me into his arms. "Just remember to call if you need help." He pulled back. "I'll see you around, Katie."

I smiled sadly. "Yeah. See you around." And then I walked away.

I climbed on the bus and made my way over to the seat Lissa had saved for me. "Geez! What took you so long, Rose? You almost missed the bus."

"Sorry, I just wanted to thank him for all he's done."

Lissa smirked, giving me her know-it-all look. "Right. It seems to me like you two were getting quite chummy for just a thank you party..."

I rolled my eyes. "Oh shut up." Just the same, I slipped his note into my pocket without letting her see it, vowing to never use the number but to keep it just in case. I shook all thoughts of Hunter from my mind. I had to focus. "Where is this bus heading?"

Lissa winced. "Boise." I sighed, it wasn't nearly as far away as we needed to be. "I'm sorry, but it was as far as the line went."

"Don't worry about it, Lis. We'll hop a bus to the airport and then fly into New York."

"So we're really going there huh," Lissa asked, her face in a mask of thought.

I nodded. "Yeah." Then my whole demeanor brightened. "We made it, Lissa," I whispered, turning to look at her in excitement. "We're finally free." It took her a second to process this, but eventually she squealed and threw her arms around me in happiness.

And so we drove away from Montana and towards the beginning of our new lives.


End file.
